. . . 2shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Writing now to the elders of the local congregations, Peter addresses what may be a particularly troublesome trend. Desperately struggling sheep may end up following leaders who enjoy the perks of being in control; these leaders may provide some guidance, inadequate as it may be. Peter, while not rebuking anyone directly, raises the bar of leadership to self-sacrifice.
Being a leader of God’s people is best pictured as shepherding a flock of sheep. Just as Peter endorsed the apostle Paul’s teachings (see 2 Peter 3:14–16), those who desire to study this more in depth should meditate on Paul’s teaching to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:17–20, where he reminds them of his modeling the role of an elder.
Shepherding means taking responsibility for all the spiritual needs of others, but with certain caveats. An elder watch over (“exercises oversight”) but does so with a firm embracing of God’s will to do this. Two wrong reasons for serving as an elder are 1) doing it because “someone needs to do it” and 2) to get some personal benefit from it. Unfortunately, in some cases people make ministry a career choice, a way to make a living. NO! The primary motivation must always and only be to serve eagerly at the Lord’s pleasure. We do it for Him, not for us. We serve because it is His will, not ours. That is not compulsion but obedience.
Therefore, shepherding is not a position of lordship over the flock; it is not a head-trip or a power position. There is only one Lord over the people of God. It is often said that if one wants to make a lot of money or build a career, there are better ways of doing that than going into ministry (admittedly there are some exceptions, who in gaining a large following cannot resist the temptation to high standards of living through lucrative stipends, books sales, or TV fundraising).
At the heart of shepherding is modeling Christlike behavior and character. Elders essentially say to those they lead, “I am seeking to grow in Christlikeness; come and join me in this pursuit.”
Finally, elders should be motivated by the hope of glory when the true and Chief Shepherd of God’s people returns. We anticipate hearing Him say, “Well done, My good and faithful under-shepherd.”
Lord, I pray that You will one day reward our elders richly.
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